Government still dead silent about who supplied new printers to the immigration service: what are they hiding? – Malawi Nyasa Times

Government officials continue to dodge any questions regarding information regarding procedures followed to identify a supplier of new passport printers at the Ministry of Immigration and Citizen Services.

Recently, government officials engaged local company E-Tech Systems, which took over from Techno Brain, to supply passport systems following the termination of the current contract.

However, observers have questioned how the new company was identified, with some linking its ownership to some major government officials.

The new printers have also come under fire following Homeland Security Minister Ken Zikhale Ng’oma’s revelation to reporters in Blantyre last Thursday that their capacity is inadequate because they are slowing down the printing of passports.

The minister said the printers, stationed at the immigration offices in Lilongwe, only print 500 passports per day.

Zikhale Ng’oma disclosed that the printers were purchased on a temporary basis, but when asked who supplied them, he said it was the Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC) that did so.

“OPC had arranged a quick solution to the problem as people were looking for the passports. So they set up a committee headed by the attorney general and a solution was found. The permanent solution is what we do by advertising the tender. That is being done and it is a process,” he said.

However, the minister said immigration officials have complained about the type of printers supplied.

“I have to follow up and find out because it was a committee that dealt with the issue and they (immigration officials) were not involved. They say if they were involved, they would have recommended better printers than the printers that are out there because these are light printers,” he said.

OPC spokesman Robert Kalindiza said he had no idea about the issue.

On his part, Eddington Chilapondwa, Director of the Public Procurement and Disposal of Assets Authority, referred us to one of his officials, Timothy Kalembo, saying he was the one who attended the meetings on the matter.

Kalembo didn’t answer our calls on Sunday.

PPDA spokesperson Kate Kujaliwa asked us to call her again and said she was attending a private event.

Last week PPDA said The nation that they have not completed the relevant transactions.

Social media posts have linked the company to a prominent figure (name withheld).

We contacted the alleged owner, who did not answer, when we wanted to ask for his response on this topic.

However, Willy Kambwandira, executive director of the Center for Social Responsibility and Transparency, said what is happening in this area only confirms that sufficient due diligence has not been carried out in this area.

“It is clear that this supplier does not have the capacity to meet the demand for passports. The blame game raises serious questions about liability, especially when it comes to how this particular supplier was identified. Has the government issued an open tender or was the supplier recruited through a limited bid? How was this specific supplier recruited and which government agency was involved in the recruitment? Kambwandira said.

Chairman of the Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC) Gift Trapence said the government had to follow established procurement procedures under all circumstances.

“HRDC therefore calls on the government to clarify how they identified the local supplier. If they have current procedures, the government must tender again.

“Otherwise, such a process is susceptible to abuse. Citizens of this country have the right to access information. As such, the government, through the Department of Homeland Security, must come out clearly on the issue to avoid instances where people speculate on the issue,” Trapence said.

Printing of passports was halted several months ago after the immigration system was hacked.

Recently, the department announced the resumption of passport printing and issuing in Lilongwe, further indicating that the services would be expanded to other regions of the country in no time.

But services have yet to return to normal, with passport seekers struggling to obtain the document in districts in the southern region such as Blantyre.

In Blantyre, the immigration service only issues temporary travel documents to countries such as Tanzania, Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Zambia.

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